Case Western Reserve vs. John Carroll? It's about time they play again.
As a alum of John Carroll, Case Western Reserve football coach Greg Debeljak is eager to test his Spartans with a coveted matchup against the Blue Streaks on Saturday.Division III football: John Carroll at Case Western Reserve, Saturday, 7.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When Greg Debeljak became the head football coach at Case Western Reserve University, he never thought this day would come.
"Play John Carroll, I don't think so," he said, remembering his first season as the Spartans' head coach.
CWRU was down to 45 players. Debeljak had attended John Carroll, and had been the Blue Streaks' offensive coordinator. He knew all about the Ohio Athletic Conference, where local schools Baldwin-Wallace and JCU battle powerhouse Mount Union and other nationally ranked Division III schools.
"It's always been a league with big, physical players," said Debeljak. "I never knew if we could even get to the level of most OAC programs."
But so much changed at CWRU when Willoughby South quarterback Dan Whalen arrived on campus is 2006. Suddenly, the Spartans began to win, and win big. They will host John Carroll at 7 p.m. Saturday, putting their 31-game regular-season winning streak on the line. Their only three losses in the last three seasons have been in the playoffs.
But they have not played an OAC school.
"For the last four years, the kids have been after me to upgrade the schedule," said Debeljak. "I have talked to OAC schools, they have room for only one independent game, so scheduling was a problem. That's why I'm happy this worked out."
Whalen has graduated, with his name next to nearly every significant school passing record. Walsh Jesuit product Joey Baum takes over, having waited three years for this chance. Along with Mentor running back Billy Deitmen, Baum is a team captain. Holy Name product Dale English is the team's sack leader.
Nearly every CWRU player has heard they'd be lucky to play .500 in the OAC. They heard that their University Athletic Association isn't much of a football league because only four schools play -- Carnegie Mellon, Washington (of St. Louis), the University of Chicago and CWRU. The conference does not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs, so CWRU has been an at-large selection
"Obviously, we are in a stronger league, but Greg has done a fantastic, unbelievable job at Case," said JCU coach Regis Scafe.
He's in position to know. Scafe graded from CWRU in 1971. He coached the Spartans from 1994-98, having a 16-34 record. He is 72-42 at John Carroll.
"They have a tremendous stadium [Case Field, opened in 2005] which helps their recruiting," said Scafe. "They just don't lose at home. Next year, they come to our place. I love this game, it's a local rivalry that we want to develop."
The two teams haven't played since 1988. For years, the reason was CWRU. The football program wasn't ready to compete with OAC schools.
"Now, I think we can," said Debeljak. "We couldn't go 10-0 or 9-1 in their league. There are too many good teams, and you have Mount Union to deal with. But we can be competitive."
Why not open with Mount Union? The 10-time national champion often has a hard time finding independent opponents.
"I'd love to play them," said Debeljak. "But only in the playoffs. John Carroll is very tough."
The Blue Streaks are coming off a 3-7 season. They are led by Frank Ross, a two-time All-OAC receiver from Canfield.
For JCU, the game is a chance to prove "that we're better than [being picked] eighth in our conference," said Scafe.
"For us, it's a big game," said Debeljak. "We think we've really grown as a program, and this is a real test for us."
One that is worth watching for area Division III football fans.